Author: Deb M

Winter City Break: Rome

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If it’s February, then it is Winter City Break time. As our city break to Porto (booked via British Airways holidays) last year had been superb, we decided to see what BA had to offer this year and this time we chose Rome.

Once in every trip to Rome, there is a moment when it feels like antiquities suddenly appear out of nowhere. You are walking along and you turn a corner and WHAM – there it is with no warning. On this trip, that moment was the Theatre of Marcellus.

I’d been to many times but it was all new to ModParlPhotos. We selected a hotel near enough to all the key spots to remain walk-able but also one that wasn’t quite in the middle of it all. When we are done for the day, we are done.

So, once again, everything booked in a single go via the BA holidays website – flights (BA), car service (TMTS Rome) and hotel (Hotel Glam Rome). Continue reading “Winter City Break: Rome” →

Sharing is caring. And good practice

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Sharing is part of what makes social media social. It shows the your potential audience that your content offers more than just a hard sell. No one is going to spend more than a minute longer than they have to for a hard sell. Sharing not only encourages trust and engagement, it boost the likelihood that they will share/recommend your content to others.

So what should you be sharing? Goodness, the list is endless. Continue reading “Sharing is caring. And good practice” →

Getting Ready for Self-Catering Holidays

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For several years, we went the ‘self-catering accommodation on family holiday campsite in France’ route for summer holidays. I’ve talked about the site we return to again and again before. They were the perfect solution for two adults who prefer relaxed sightseeing and reading on a lounger that are traveling with a very active youngster who’s prefer to spend the day running around on a football pitch and swimming.

When we started these trips, I’d never been to one of these holiday camps, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The official information provided had a suggested list of items to bring but until you’ve been to one of these sites, you really don’t know what your family will need because everyone’s family is different.

Having been a few times now, I’m more easy-going about prep and packing. I’ve sorted out what to bring to make arrival day as easy as possible (after 5 hours in the car, you want EASY in capital letters) and what to bring to make ‘housekeeping’ quick and easy as well. That’s my mantra for these trips – quick and easy. After all, I’m on holiday. Continue reading “Getting Ready for Self-Catering Holidays” →

Four Seasons Costa Rica: Flora, Fauna & Food (A Review)

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Off we went last month to Four Seasons Costa Rica, located on the absolutely gorgeous Peninsula Papagayo.

This trip was all about my mother – who was celebrating what we shall call ‘a significant birthday.’ She’d been there before and had such an amazing time, when she had her choice of of anywhere in the world – this was her pick. She is, I should point out, very particular about her holidays so her desire to return spoke volumes about what we could expect and both @modparlphotos and I were very much looking forward to it. Then we started researching the area and what we might do and see – suddenly, it was all monkeys and tree frogs. At least if you asked my camera-wielding husband. 🙂

The first thing that struck us about the Four Seasons Costa Rica was the immense approach to the hotel itself. Like a lush, tropical, and sedate roller coaster. Arriving from the nearby city of Liberia (and that is the nearest airport), you go through the gates of Peninsula Papagayo, a 1400-acre protected landscape where the resort is located. You then drive down a long, meandering, breathtaking road taking in palm trees and carefully curated greenery, past the equally well-curated Arnold Palmer–designed golf course. Just when you think this hilly drive broken up by breath-taking views will go on forever, you reach the resort’s own gate and you are there.

And this is what we found. Continue reading “Four Seasons Costa Rica: Flora, Fauna & Food (A Review)” →

Focus on Visual Content

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Wednesdays are when I try to do a bit of industry catch up – you know, read up on trends, stats, who has moved where, what campaign has struck what chord etc. It’s also a chance for me to do the reading and collecting the most interesting takeaways so that you – who very likely have better things to do – don’t have to. My latest reading: “Engaging Your Audience With Visual Content 2018” by Contently and Libris. Definitely worth a read.

We all know visual content isn’t just decoration for your posts and tweets. It’s an amplifier, a booster. Gets more eyes on your info and engages viewers more fully – thus increasing the likelihood that they will take action on your info or offer. So, we know that but how is the use of visual content taking shape this year? This goodly sized report is full of lots of interesting info about what’s being used, by whom and how. Here are a few of what I see as key takeaways. Continue reading “Focus on Visual Content” →